Butter Stick Bakery Grand Opening

On February 19, a new business opened in Dover Foxcroft. When you walk in to the Butter Stick Bakery, located on East Main Street, in the same space previously occupied by Shiretown Pizza, you feel like you are stepping back into another era. And the journey is delicious.

When Executive Director of the Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce stopped in to welcome the owner, Lisa Kingsbury, she was amazed it was the same space.

She explains, “The art work and colors are reminiscent of a coffee shop or bakery from the 1050s. The place has been completely transformed – from floor to ceiling – it’s brand new and beautiful.”

Customers can stop in for to-go orders, or stay for a while. “The new layout allows for seating for up to twelve customers,” Denise continues. “Whether you’re stopping in for a breakfast sandwich and a coffee first thing in the morning, or you’re looking for a sweet place to go on your lunch break, maybe for a homemade cup of soup or a hearty sandwich on homemade bread.”

And you’ll want to be sure you leave with something sweet in hand. Kingsbury, who uses only top-notch quality products, all locally sourced when possible, does not spare when it comes to her baked goods.

“I only use real, unsalted butter, buttermilk, whole milk, and sour cream. I even use lard in my pie crusts”, says Lisa. And her goal is not to compete with other local coffee shops or bakeries, “I won’t offer wraps or salads, specialty drinks or donuts like other local shops carry, I want to give the community something different, and I’m always asking customers what they’d like me to add to the menu. I would eventually like to prepare and stock fully cooked meals so folks can stop in and buy a complete dinner to take home and heat up, rather than cooking dinner themselves,” she said.

Lisa, who holds a master’s degree in public health and a bachelor’s degree in business, moved to Dover-Foxcroft from Bangor eight years ago, having fallen in love with the county while working for the Piscataquis Public Health Coalition as a community health promotion specialist. Lisa has accomplished much, but seems most excited to watch her dream of owning a bakery unfold in downtown DF.

When she tells her story, it becomes apparent that baking has been a part of her life from childhood.

“Growing up in a family of twelve siblings required a lot of scratch cooking. My mother hated baking, and as soon as she realized I had an interest in it, she began training me, and allowed me to take over all of the baking at a fairly young age. Later in life I had a neighbor I loved dearly who used to cook and bake at Husson College. She gave me many of her old- school recipes”.

Opening a bakery is something Lisa spoke of often with her husband, who was a chef, but hated to bake. The opening of Butter Stick Bakery might be somewhat bittersweet for Lisa now. She explains, “My husband and I would talk often about opening a restaurant with a bakery. When he passed away last year I decided to move forward and open a bakery anyway.” Here, she lives and breathes the thing she loves to do most, and her scrumptious creations come in big and small packages.

Her cases are lined with sweet treats of all kinds, from her signature cinnamon rolls, muffins and brownies, to pies, to beautifully decorated cakes, including the most important cake you’ll ever order – your wedding cake. “As much as I love baking, I also love cake decorating- especially wedding cakes. I love the challenge and the creativity required in designing and preparing a wedding cake. My goal is to continue to grow the bakery and develop a Butter Stick Bakery line of specialty and wedding cakes”.

Butter Stick Bakery can be found on Facebook. Doors are open from 5 a.m.- 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and are closed on Sundays.

Lisa Kingsbury would love the community to know that a Grand Opening will be held on March 24 from 10 a.m. to noon with specials throughout the day and a ribbon cutting by the Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce at 11 a.m. All are invited!